shutdown
"shutdown" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“shutdown” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,683 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #12,683
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The action of stopping operations; a closing, of a computer, business, event, etc.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | shutdown |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #12,683 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “shutdown” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for shutdown is 8 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #12,683 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for shutdown, with forms such as "hsutdown", "shhutdown", and "shtudown". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "sundown", "shutdowns", "showdown", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from shut down. The correct English form is shutdown, spelled S-H-U-T-D-O-W-N.
Definition
- 1The action of stopping operations; a closing, of a computer, business, event, etc.
- 2A statement, insult, etc. that prevents the opponent from replying further.
- 3An autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the individual freezes up and becomes silent, motionless, and unresponsive.
- 4A defensive ploy that prevents the opposing players from attacking.
- 5A big success; a hyped atmosphere.
Etymology
Deverbal from shut down.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: hsutdown,shhutdown,shtudown,shudtown,shutddown,shutdonw,shutdownn,shutdowwn,shutdwon,shutodwn,shuttdown,sshutdown,suhtdown
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of shutdown - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “shutdown”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-H-U-T-D-O-W-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Don't mix it up with “sundown” - see the side-by-side comparison. shutdown vs sundown
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.